One of the indicators of losing it mentally is feeling like there are bugs crawling all over you. I am beginning to see where this might come from.
When you reach a certain age you begin to have what are called “floaters”. The doctor explained it as particles detaching from your retina and floating around inside your eye until they break down and essentially go away. This can take quite a bit of time. He assures me it is normal and nothing to worry about. It is expected to start when you are around 60. He said I was fortunate that it didn’t hit me until I was 70.
Easy for him to say. It has taken my brain a long time to compensate for the masquerade. I keep thinking there are bugs flying or squirrels running along the road. I am gradually adjusting.
Then there was a real bug. Now my brain is starting to say, “See. I told you so. You should listen to me.”
At least I think it was real. I assembled a fly swatter from some paper and went hunting. He was real but I could not get him to settle on anything that would not break.
Now that I know it is not dementia, I can wait.
homo unius libri
You really made me laugh, thinking about swatting at bugs that aren't really there. I got a floater in my late 50s that would move in whatever direction I looked then kind of keep drifting. It was very distracting.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of like the dogs and "squirrel". It is amazing what the brain can compensate for if given time.
DeleteGrace and peace
I got floaters early, partly from a some falls i took when I was young and partly from departing my saddle unexpectedly. They're mostly gone now, though I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteNow that you remember I hope you don't start noticing them again. If falling down stairs doesn't bring them back then maybe nothing will.
DeleteGrace and peace
I have lived with floaters since my '30's...I have been terribly near-sighted since 6th grade..don't know if that means anything or not :) I had cataract surgery, both eyes in 2012, and my doc said "I don't know how you can see to read because you have so many floaters"..LOL! My floaters vary from a quick mouse zooming along the floor to a rather large black spider crawling up the wall.......you get used to them. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was the mouse running beside my car that got me.
DeleteGrace and peace